East Boulder County Water District

Board of Directors Meeting

St. Ambrose Episcopal Church

 

March 13, 2006

The meeting was called to order by Mike Deck at 4:08 PM.  Those in attendance were board members (Mark Johns, Nick Bennett, Rick Moeller and Bob Champ) and Water System Operator (Frank Hauke).  Mary Wagner (Bookkeeper) was also present.  No members of the public were present. 

Secretary’s Report:

The minutes of the 13 February 2006 meeting were discussed.  Nick Bennett made the motion that we approve the minutes of the13 February 2006 meeting.  Mark Johns seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.

Finance Report:

Mary Wagner had e-mailed the financial packet to the board (Balance Sheet, P&L ytd comparison, P&L budget vs. actual and the transaction report).  Also e-mailed were the usage comparisons.   Because the checking account has in excess of $32000 in it and the check from taxes has been received, Mary will transfer money to Colotrust.  Also, some of the money entered as maintenance will be transferred to construction.  The difference between the Lafayette meter reading and our usage was discussed because of the high difference in January.  The difference was very low in February.  We will continue to monitor, but a high degree of accuracy is not expected because meters are read at different times.

Operations:

Frank e-mailed the following report to the board and presented it at the meeting.

WINTERS/HAUKE STATUS REPORT  - MARCH 2006

 

 

 

  • We put in 2.5 hrs monitoring and .5 hrs maintaining the system from February 7 thru March 5 2006.

 

  • Read water meters on 2-28-2006.

 

  • Took water sample for E-Coli lab test at7493 Spring Drive.

 

  • We did not flush an outline fire hydrant this month because of the weather and sickness.

 

  • Reconnected the sprinkler system and ran it for two days to try to revive the grass.

 

  • We came across a problem that may be occurring at houses with a pressure reducer. Will explain at the meeting.

 

 

Frank noted that with a pressure reducer in the system there is no backflow and pressure may increase in the residence if there is not an expansion tank.  If we believe that in those instances where we do not have a backflow device installed (e.g. PRV), backflow can occur, we should develop a plan to solve this problem.  If the pressure is allowed to drop in the system by, for instance, a hydrant being used, gravity will allow water to drain from high areas.  Mike will get an estimate from Terry what it would take to solve the problem.  Mark brought up the fire pump, which is in our capital plan.  Installation of this pump will not allow pressures to drop in the system and therefore backflow from the high altitude areas of the district will not happen.  This will also be discussed with Terry. 

 

Dick Winters will obtain locates for the Wagner Line extension for Terry, thereby averting the cost involved in doing this if Terry calls for the locates.

 

Frank noted that a residence in the district has observed periodic low pressure.  Rick Moeller will talk to the homeowner to further understand and possibly solve the problem.

 

Unfinished Business

Wagner Extension

The plans are still in progress and Mike noted that the extension will be a little longer than originally planned.

Record Storage

Consolidation of our records was discussed.  It was determined that Frank will go through Bob Farmer’s old files and separate out the construction files.  Mary will then go through the documents to get rid of duplicate records.  We should continue to work at minimizing and consolidating the records.   

Pump station Repairs:

Discussion of this was tabled until the next meeting.

New Business

Policy on Water Bill adjustments

Occasionally a homeowner has a leak or problem whereby an inordinate amount of water is used resulting in a high water bill.  The homeowner then contacts us for alleviation on the water bill.  Nick had a handout that he prepared which summarized his research on coming up with an adjustment policy.  He reviewed the Lafayette Policy and our past practice.  The way we should handle these adjustments was discussed in detail.  The issue is complicated in that Lafayette bills us according to tiers with the top tier being very expensive.  It has been our policy that we charge the homeowner only our cost of the water.  We have the option of charging at the marginal rate of the top Lafayette tier used during the month of the problem or we can charge at a blended rate for the month of the problem.  It was a consensus that we should not make money on the problem.  It was discussed that we allow the homeowner to pay a bill equivalent to the last month’s bill and not charge a late charge until we review the circumstances and issue a subsequent bill for our cost of the water.  We should have a written request stipulating what the problem was and any documentation on the fixing of the problem prior to our resolution of the bill.  In obvious cases, Mary could unilaterally make the decision and issue the appropriate bill.  

Director’s Comments and other matters to come before the Board

It was noted that there was no water tap on lot 62 and the owner needed documentation that the district would provide a tap.  Mike has a letter which addresses this and will get it to the owner of the lot.

Adjourn:

A motion was made to adjourn by Nick Bennett, seconded by Mark Johns and unanimously approved.  The meeting was adjourned at 6:05 PM.

The above is respectfully submitted by the secretary…Bob Champ, March 14, 2006.